Hail damage repair...

[Scupper]

Several years back our painted wood sided home was subjected to hail damage. There are hundreds if not thousands of little divots or impressions on the south side of the structure. My wife wants to paint the house this year and has been told that the paint she has chosen will fill the divots to satisfaction

I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I suspect there will be some labor involved in applying and sanding some product that will fill these divots before applying paint.

Is there a particular product that anyone with experience or knowledge in hail damage can recommend to fill these divots?

She started painting while I was away fishing and I can't convince her that this damage needs to be addressed with something other than paint...

I wish she would of waited until July or August when I would be able to help her.

[Roofer]

The best thing to do is make an insurance claim and get it fixed right. Then you don't have to worry about it and you can go fishing.

[rtwills]

Roofer is right. I do alot of insurance work on houses and many times I can work it out so you get all new siding and usually make it so you will not have to pay the deductable.If you just paint over it and decide to sell later that could be an issue for you then. better to do it right the first time and forget about it.

[echotrail]

I agree with Roofer and [YouNeedAuthorization]. A weather related damage claim in MN cannot be used against you to drop your coverage. I filed a hail damage claim with my old insurer 2 years after I changed to a different one and they resided the entire house.

[Scupper]

Thanks fella's. I'll give the insurance company a call.

[Moe Szyslak]

A weather related damage claim in MN cannot be used against you to drop your coverage.

Can you show me a link to a law that states this? I am very interested in this. I was under the impression that they could drop you for whatever reason they wanted to.

[Roofer]

I know they can drop you for NOT fixing something you have a claim on, or something that is damaged.

[echotrail]

About six years ago I was having a problem with a claim and I called the MN Insurance Commission Office to complain and I spoke with a woman, who has since has retired, (I read it in the paper) who knew what she was doing. She actually knew the name of the adjuster I was having a problem with and got him straightened out. I don't know of a link, but look up MN state offices to find the phone number for the Insurance Commission. I know they have since rewritten laws allowing a pro rated scale so homeowners with a 10 yr. and older roof have to pay part of the cost. Added comment: I still have coverage with the same company so they didn't drop me, but I've wondered about my next claim.

[Roofer]

Partially correct. There are plenty who went through this already and understand how it works....

If you have replacement cost insurance, they pay to have it replaced up to current code. Sometimes they will pro-rate your shingles and hold back depreciation. This is where most get confused. They with-hold the depreciation until the work is completed. The mortgage company also may be involved to make sure their house they are holding the loan on is actually being fixed. After everything is done, then the depreciation money is sent out.

This is all due to people NOT fixing their house and putting the money in their own pocket. We all have to suffer with much more paper work and wait sometimes a few months to get paid.

Insurance money is sent out to fix your home. Even if a Contractor comes in under that amount, it is NOT legal for a homeowner to keep the remaining money.

I don't plan on messing with any bids or people who seem to want a "deal". They will get what is coming to them with the shotty work of some of the others already scrounging around.

Hope this explains a little.

When a have more time I will have to check out what you said echotrail.

[311Hemi]

Even if a Contractor comes in under that amount, it is NOT legal for a homeowner to keep the remaining money.

Interesting....I did not know this.

I would assume if you do it yourself you would add your personal labor time/costs as the material is not going to run you near what the insurance will cover for replacement costs.

[Roofer]

As of now, you can repair it yourself, but the insurance company is to be notified of that. This is for now. Other states have changed their rules on that because of work done that is not quite up to par. The money is to hire a professional to do the job, and that Contractor is the homeowner's choice.

There are Contractors out now, saying they will give back deductibles. That is not legal either, but really....who is going to say anything??

Also, signing most contracts, gives a Contractor up to 20% of the claim, whether they do the job or not.

Most checks now come out to homeowners and mortgage companies, with both names on there. The mortgage company comes out to inspect the job when complete, then they sign over the check.